New ‘Death Note’ Film is a Far Stray from Anime Series

Nat Wolff as Light Turner’s first encounter with the Death Note
Still image via Netflix

By Amanda Berry

Contributing Writer

For those of you who love the anime series “Death Note,” beware of the Netflix movie rendition.

While in the past Netflix has made some great movie adaptations, “Death Note” is not one of them.

The movie rears away from the anime’s plot, adding a cringe worthy love story into the mix.

Spoiler Alert: The movie starts off with an intro similar to that of a cheesy teen high school love story.

When the main character, Light Turner, played by Nat Wolff, is introduced his characteristics are vastly different from the anime series.

The same goes for all the characters throughout the movie, but Turner is for sure the furthest off from the original.

The film lacks plot and even though the story moves in a linear fashion, nothing is accomplished at the end.

L, a detective played by Keith Stanfield, ultimately does not catch Kira (the evil name given to Turner and who was attributed to the murders), and nothing is said of whether Turner will continue on killing people for justice, or if he will give up the notebook.

Also, nothing is said of what happens now that Turner’s father, who is also a policeman, will arrest his son for committing these murders.

When making a movie adaptation to a novel or TV series, one would think the directors would stick closely to the plot and character as much as possible, because the fans are their biggest critic.

It seems that Netflix either did not care how the fans felt, or the directors had never seen the original television adaption to the manga.

If they were going for a cheesy rom-com with a touch of suspense, they did a good job, but strayed far from the original.

“I thought Netflix created an interesting interpretation of the original anime,” said Janice Tieperman, treasurer of the Anime Club.

“However, the plot and overall in intricacies of the original series are far too complex to condense into a successful re-telling. While enjoyable at times, ‘Death Note’ is far too iconic as a franchise to be re-made into a worthwhile film.”

Kayla Sutter, a English major said the movie lacked the intensity of the anime.

“The original Death Note was a dramatic story highlighting the Light and L and the battle between them,” Sutter said.

“The movie seemed a bit light hearted and it focused more on romance.

The movie ends with numerous unanswered questions, changes and violations to the rules of the notebook and on top of that, the ending was extremely cliché, far from anime.

If you are a serious “Death Note” fan, or were just curious about the movie, listen to the reviews, and do not waste your time.